Avalon by Vanessa Morgan – a Review

Avalon by Vanessa Morgan – a Review

 

AvalonAvalon

Description
In the latest Kate Daniels novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Avalon is the heartwarming and once-in-a-lifetime love story of a girl and her neurotic Turkish Van cat.

With humor, the author details how Avalon made other creatures cringe in distress whenever he was around, how he threw her dates out by means of special techniques, and how he rendered it almost impossible for her to leave the house. Avalon was so incorrigible that even her landlord ordered her to get rid of him. But beneath Avalon’s demonic boisterousness, Vanessa recognized her own flaws and insecurities, and she understood that abandoning Avalon would be the worst she could do to him. Thanks to her unswerving loyalty, Avalon transformed into a tender feline, and even landed a major role in a horror movie. In turn, Avalon made it his mission to be there for his human companion.

By turns jubilant and deeply moving, Avalon is a memoir for anyone who has ever been obsessively in love with a pet.

 

 

Review:

Avalon by Vanessa Morgan is a heartwarming memoir of a woman and her beloved cat. When Vanessa came upon a stray cat, she couldn’t turn him away when he followed her home, though she already had two cats. Avalon, who was a rare Turkish Van cat, took over the house and his new owner immediately.

Avalon was a terror to the other two cats, as well as her guinea pig. He tore the house apart with tantrums if she would look at any other animal. As far as Avalon was concerned, Vanessa was his, and he adored her. Over the course of the story, I was amazed at the things he would do, some of which was funny. This is not just another pet storyline; it is also very much about Vanessa, her life, her feelings during the time Avalon lived with her.

When she took more control of her life, she broke up with her boyfriend and moved to another place, taking Avalon with her. Their relationship was not owner and pet; Avalon was as much Vanessa’s soul, as he was hers. His adoration was amazing, and his love for her and she for him, helped change Vanessa into a more confidant person. When she began to work with some film making friends writing scripts, Vanessa managed to get Avalon to appear in some of the films. He was no longer a terror, as when they moved to just the two of them, Avalon no longer felt threatened and became calmer and happy.

This was a very nice story of a beautiful love between a woman and her cat, who taught her to believe in love and herself. I enjoyed this story, which was fun, heartwarming, humorous at times, and a little heartbreaking. This isn’t as I said just another pet story, it is very well written.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

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Avalon by Lee Souleles-A Review and Giveaway

Avalon by Lee Souleles-a review and giveaway

Avalon

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About the Book: Release Date April 28, 2013

It’s 1984, and Alex Wakefield is in Mexico, on a mission to avenge the death of his partner, DEA Special Agent Nicholas Locklear. Beautiful Sofie Davis is an alluring complication he never anticipated. Sofie is on a mission too. Recovering from a failed relationship, Sofie has returned to Mexico, looking for direction as she plans her future. She’s hoping to reconnect with her family-especially her mother’s memory-before she returns to California in the fall. After four years of focusing most of her attention on a college education, Sofie enjoys spending her days in a tropical Avalon. One sultry summer night, she meets Alex, her cousin’s new business associate. Taking a risk, she asks the gorgeous guy to dance. In the violent and corrupt world of Mexico’s emerging drug cartels, Sofie and Alex forge an unrealistic pact. They soon find love and heartache, and discover the true meaning of family loyalty and forgiveness.

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AVALON by Lee Souleles was a surprise read for me. I remember the 1980’s in Southern California very well. Too well! I could have been in college classes with our heroine Sofie! I was not really interested in revisiting some personal memories, but this novel opened me up to a world that I didn’t fully understand at the time. AVALON touched my heart in a profound way. It is a wonderful novel about family loyalty, forgiveness and love.

Sofie meets Alex Wakefield, an undercover DEA agent in Acapulco Mexico. She has returned to Mexico to heal from a broken heart. She is reconnecting with her large, wealthy Mexican family before she returns to California. Alex and Sofie are drawn to each other, but Alex has some big secrets. He is undercover to investigate her family. Alex needs to find out if Sofie knows about her family’s drug cartel. Their relationship is as hot as a sultry night in Mexico! Mixing business with pleasure is risky and someone is bound to get hurt.

The parts of the story that I loved the most were the descriptions of Mexico and its rich culture! The readers are shown both its beauty and its harsh poverty. All of the characters are so dynamic and they came alive for me. There are even some great life quotes sprinkled throughout the novel that I had to highlight! One that I loved was this life advice from her favorite Tia: “We’re each the captain of our own ship, not the master of the seas..……Life will bring the hurricanes, don’t go searching for rough weather”. The writing is poetic and the story is so rich and meaningful. I never thought that I could enjoy reading about America’s war on drugs, but I was wrong. AVALON was a very fulfilling read. I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Jules

Copy supplied by the author.

giveaway

Lee is offering a paper copy of AVALON to one lucky reader at The Reading Cafe.

1. Please register using the log-in at the top of the page or by using one of the social log-ins.

2. If you are using a social log-in, please post your email address with your comment.

3. Giveaway is open to USA and Canada only.

4. Giveaway runs from August 12 to August 16, 2013

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